Round Trip

Is there anything more evocative of the past than steam trains and old railway tracks?

A real treat recently to take a few days to make a round trip, first heading south, then inland towards the mountains of Northern Southland and Central Otago, before heading back to the coast and home.

While in Gore, I popped into the Eastern Southland Gallery to savour Sue Cooke’s Long Hee Lee exhibition featuring Southland’s disappearing forests, as well as her paintings of North Island kauri. I swear as I gazed at these striking paintings, I could hear bird song and smell the leaf-litter.

I also bought the smallest teapot in the world at a second hand shop in Gore.

While Robert played a round of golf I took myself on a bit of a wander around Roxburgh.

Is there anything more evocative of the past than steam trains and old railway tracks?

The water vat (I would call it a water tank, myself) reminds me of the one in my childhood town and which features, albeit briefly, in my novel, ‘Craggan Dhu’ available to buy. Email me if interested at kmckcooke @ gmail . com (no spaces.)